Does weight training make you bulky?

As a fitness pro with over 20 years in the business, I have noticed more women wanting to get “strong,” as opposed to strictly having a weight-loss goal. I think there’s been increased visibility of muscular women in popular culture–people frequently cited Michelle Obama’s “guns” as attractive. There’s also an increased awareness that being muscular is healthy, and that adding muscle won’t cause you to “bulk up” unless you follow very specific (and potentially unhealthy) nutritional and exercise plans. Rather than bulky, most people who build muscle through resistance exercise become more “toned” looking.

The best way to put on more muscle is to use resistance exercise. I tend to favor body weight exercises such as TRX bands, push ups, pull ups, etc. The best way to make sure you get the results you want is to work with a pro who can monitor your form and technique and push you a little farther out of your comfort zone while making sure that you don’t hurt yourself.